


Battle Scars

by scorpioboywitch



Category: Luna Nera (TV)
Genre: Childhood Memories, F/F, Flashbacks, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Late Night Conversations, Leptis had to suffer, Tebe just wants to protect her, Useless Lesbians
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-12
Updated: 2020-05-12
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:15:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24144991
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scorpioboywitch/pseuds/scorpioboywitch
Summary: When Leptis and Tebe are reunited after the battle at the stake, there is something Tebe wants to give to her girlfriend.(A lot of fluff. They deserve it.)
Relationships: Leptis/Tebe (Luna Nera)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 485





	Battle Scars

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so honestly the Luna Nera fandom deserves more fanfictions, so I decided to suck it up and write one. I also have a terrible crush on Lucrezia Guidone. It might show.
> 
> If anyone wants to fangirl about Leptis x Tebe or Luna Nera in general, I'm absolutely here for it.
> 
> English is not my first language, so bear with me if I make some mistakes. I hope you like what I'm writing! If there is something you want to suggest, feel free.

When Leptis carefully closed the door of Luxor's candle-lit bedchamber, night had already fallen upon the hiding place of the witches.

It had been an eventful day. After Leptis had returned to the castle, with Ade on the back of her horse, barely concious and entirely devastated, she walked directly into the baptism ceremony of Luxor. The child had looked devine, decorated with flowers, dressed up in a golden girl's gown. Leptis needed some time to understand what was going on. A few hours ago, this child had been Valente, her little boy who she needed to protect from the vicious Benandanti and their torture, but now, he didn't look like he needed her protection anymore. When Leptis approached the group of witches, Tebe smiled affectionately, reaching out towards the young witch.

"Luxor is the chosen one. When she was born, Antalya decided to let her grow up as a boy in order to protect her. But now, her powers are unfolding. She's one of us."

Both Tebe and Leptis wanted nothing more than to spend the day together, but there was too much going on. Ade had run away after learning what was happening to her little brother, and Persepolis had a hard time convincing her to come back to the castle. Eventually, she brought her back, but neither of them were in a good condition. Tebe took care of the girls while Leptis sat down with Luxor, finally getting to talk to her protegée.

Leptis smiled as she removed an overlooked flower from the child's hair. "So you're a girl now, huh? Does it feel any different?"

Luxor smirked. "No, not really. I still feel like me, just a little more powerful."

"Alright then." Leptis ruffled through the girl's hair. "You still up to go hunting with me?"

Of course she was. They grabbed their bows and arrows and went to the forest nearby, retrieving a hawk and a rabbit. When Luxor proudly presented her bait to Petra and Aquilea, Leptis couldn't help but feel like she succeeded in teaching her an important lesson. Not only how to kill an animal, but also how to find its trace. How to look for a source of water in the woods and how to build a trap. At this point, she was convinced the child would be able to survive out in the wild on her own.

Now, after saying good night to Luxor and making sure that Ade would not try to run away again, Leptis found herself a little lost in thought. She loved to spend time with her new family, but at times, she didn't quite feel like she belonged. Especially now, as Luxor turned out to have powers as well. It had been nice to have the child by her side, another ordinary human trapped in the middle of a witch circle. Teaching her how to shoot and talking to her about matters of the heart made Leptis feel like a mother. At least that was how she imagined a mother would feel like. Her own parents had never really shown much affection towards her, so she couldn't tell if she was good at caring for Luxor, but the affirming looks Tebe sometimes gave her from afar were enough to keep her going.

As she went down the hall of the ground floor, memories of the Benandanti men started to flash through her mind. They kept reoccuring, although she did her best to push them away. Someone hitting her in the face. The taste of blood. Cesaria tying up her hands, the first strike of the whip. A rough voice, asking the same question, again and again.

"Where are they hiding?"

Pain. So much pain. The flogging seemed to go on forever. By the seventh time she was asked where the witches were hiding, she had started to cry. Despite being utterly strong, Leptis needed to remind herself who she was doing this for. Otherwise she wouldn't make it out of this purgatory alive.

" _Where are they hiding?!_ "

Another strike. She did this for Valente. She did this for Tebe.

Tebe.

Leptis needed to see her. It had been too long and there had been too much pain. Right now, all she wanted was to hold Tebe in her arms and never let her go again. She wanted to tell her how much she needed her, and that she was sorry for always being so stubborn. It was, probably, the main reason for all the fights they were having.

Quietly, she rushed up the stairs, quickly moving towards their chamber. She felt her pulse quicken as if she was nineteen again, sneaking out of the house for a midnight-encounter no one could know about. It had always been Tebe. Even back then, so many years ago, when Leptis had barely known what it meant to be a woman.

She stopped in front of the wooden door, unsure of what to say when she opened it. Would Tebe want to talk? Or would she simply hold out her hand, gesturing her to come closer?

The brunette decided to have something in mind for any situation that might occur, but when she finally entered, any words she had thought of seemed empty and foolish.

Tebe, as beautiful as ever, was sitting on the bed, partly covered by a white blanket, an open book in her hands. She only wore a short-sleeved night shirt, so Leptis could admire the triskelion-tattoos on her upper arms. She had always liked them, more than she would ever let the older woman know.

Tebe's white dreads were taken down from their usual braids, so they were flooding down her back in their natural way, seeming to get lost somewhere in the sheets. Tebe's hair was truly everywhere, Leptis could speak from experience. When the two women were lying in bed together, at least one of them would get twisted in the long white strands, which usually resulted in Tebe swearing like a sailor.

"One day, I'm going to cut them off", she'd say, although they both knew this was never going to happen. Still, the younger woman found it incredibly endearing to see the witch get mad about something as mundane as messy hair.

As Leptis now quietly closed the door behind her, Tebe put her book on the nightstand beside the bed, carefully placing the small candleholder on top of it. The light flickered, sending a weird feeling of excitement through the brunette's body.

"Look at you", Tebe said turning back to her girlfriend, a gentle smile on her face. "Even after a day like this, you shine bright like the morning star."

Leptis smiled. She really wanted to roll her eyes at this flattery, but all she could do was cast down her eyes, still beaming.

"If I be the morning star in the shadows of the night, you must be the moon, your light fading away alongside of mine."

Tebe gave her a playful smile. "Are you reciting poetry?"

"No, just something I've had in the back of my head."

Tebe moved to the left side of the bed, obviously making space for Leptis. She reached out her hand.

"Come."

Leptis obliged. The soft light of the candles was catching in Tebe's eyes, creating a mysterious little spark which Leptis couldn't quite decipher. As soon as she took the older woman's hand, Tebe pulled her body closer. Immediately understanding the hint, the brunette settled down on her lap.

While feeling the pleasant warmth of the leader's skin against her own, Leptis reached out for Tebe's face, gently placing her hand on her cheek. Tebe leaned into the touch, closing her eyes for a moment, then glancing back up at the archer, almost shy, as if there was something she couldn't quite dare to say.

When she opened her mouth just a little bit, taking a small, shaky breath, Leptis knew there was something going on.

"What is it?"

Tebe hesitated, avoiding her gaze. Leptis could see how the witch was struggling to find the right words, and how she didn't want to mess it up.

When she finally spoke, the words were only coming out slowly.

"I don't really know how to say this. Or where to start. But I would like to talk to you about something that has been ... on my mind for a while now."

Leptis smirked mischiviously. " _You_ want to talk? To _me_? Did I hear this right?"

Tebe failed to surpress an embarrassed laugh. "Stop."

"Oh, no. What is it that you always say to me? 'I can't tell you everything, Leptis. It's too dangerous. You can't come with us, Leptis. What you do is none of my business.' Did I forget something?"

"Please. That's not fair." Tebe's cheeks started to flush, but Leptis didn't think of stopping yet.

"Oh, yeah. Right. What about that one time when you literally shut the door in front of my face because you needed to have a 'confidential talk' with Janara?"

"I said stop!" Tebe, feeling the need to start a counter-attack, suddenly grabbed the younger woman's hips and pulled her down on top of her, causing an abrupt movement which made the two of them collapse on the sheets.

Leptis squeaked, awkwardly landing pressed against Tebe's body, her right arm on the blanket to absorb the collision.

"Are you out of your mind?", the brunette asked affectionately, laughing. Her lips were so close to Tebe's that she could feel her breath on her skin. Leptis noticed the faint scent of thyme and cedarwood, a little bit of leather as well. Tebe's scent. That's what all of her clothing smelled like. Sometimes, when Leptis felt lonely and shut out by the witches, she secretly went to Tebe's wardrobe and buried her face in one of the leader's cloaks. It made her feel safe, although she knew it probably made her look like a damned fool. But she didn't care. Tebe's scent was heavenly.

Despite being buried beneath the weight of her girlfriend, the woman with the white dreads grinned confidently. She reached up to put a strand of brown hair behind Leptis's ear.

"Don't be so sassy. Respect your elders."

"Oh, yes. You're _ancient_ ", Leptis said teasingly while sitting up again. She pulled Tebe back up as well, significantly more gentle than she had been pulled down.

Tebe's eyebrow quirked up, but she let the joke go uncommented.

Meaning to make an offer of peace, Leptis reached out and intertwined their fingers. "Now, talk to me. What is troubling you?"

Once again, Tebe cast down her eyes. By now, Leptis had understood the apparent seriousness of the matter, so she didn't want to push her partner in any way. She waited patiently, softly caressing Tebe's hand with her thumb. It actually took the witch another minute of silent intimacy until she finally began to speak.

"You have been by my side for fifteen years now. And you've always had my back, even when my behavior was ... intolerable."

Leptis surpressed a spontaneous laugh which Tebe found indeed well-deserved.

"You need to know that I ... would have been lost without you, Leptis. And there is nothing I could do to make up for all the sacrifices you have made."

Tebe closed her eyes for a moment. Talking about her feelings had never been one of her strengths. Still, she managed to go on, nervously playing with a strand of tangled white hair.

"But there is one thing I could offer. I ... I should have done this so much earlier, but I never knew if this was what you wanted, or if I was just selfish to assume you'd stay with me ..."

She broke off, tilting her head back while taking a deep breath. This was hard. Harder than fighting any catholic in this world. Why had no one ever taught her to _phrase_ all these things? Being vulnerable was decidedly worse than seeming cold and heartless to everyone around her.

Leptis frowned, starting to get worried. "What are you talking about?"

Tebe swallowed thickly, trying to build up all the courage she possibly had. Leptis deserved this.

"I want you to have something. Something ... quite special. I've made it for you the day after we first met."

She paused briefly. "I've been meaning to give it to you for years now, but I never seemed to find the right moment, and when you were captured by the Benandanti, I feared that it might be too late. So ... I'm giving it to you now."

Tebe turned away to the nightstand, opening the top drawer with a soft movement of her hand. Leptis knew this was the one which had always been locked. She used to hate how Tebe was keeping so many secrets from her, even in their own bedchamber, but as time went by, she had come to terms with the fact that not everything was meant for her eyes. Still, getting to see what has been hidden for such a long time made Leptis's heart flutter in excitement.

The witch curled back her fingers, making a tiny, round object rise from the drawer. When it came to rest in the palm of her hand, Leptis could finally see what it was.

"Tebe", she breathed out, her eyes wide in disbelief. "It's ... beautiful."

It was a ring. Made from silver, matt like the moon. Leptis could spot a small triskelion ornament on the backside of the unusual trinket, perfectly morphing into the mysterious pattern of magical symbols.

But the most mesmerizing thing about the ring was the small, turquoise gemstone on top, emitting a soft and elusive glow. It had to possess some kind of magical power.

"I've captured my first memory of you in it", Tebe said with a cautious, but fond smile. "You can see it when you breathe down on the stone."

Carefully, she handed the ring over to Leptis, who only took it hesistantly. She was deeply touched and speechless, realising what a meaningful gift she had just been given.

"I made sure it would only react to your breath, so nobody will be able to spy on you." Tebe took another breath in an attempt to calm herself down. She prayed that the archer wouldn't find it entirely ridiculous. "I hope you ... like it."

Leptis looked at her in complete awe. "You made this ... fifteen years ago?"

Tebe nodded slowly, not breaking eye contact. She wasn't sure if Leptis would blame her for not giving it to her earlier, if maybe she was disappointed, but after another moment of stunned silence, the younger woman only reached out for Tebe and kissed her with a most ardent force.

Tebe's heart missed a beat. This was unexpected. She wondered if she really deserved this reward for being such a damn coward, but then again, it didn't matter. Her hands automatically moved up to the brunette's waist, pulling her body closer. Leptis quickly straddled Tebe's lap again, pressing against her while deepening the kiss. She felt so _happy_ , for the first time in ages. Happy to have such a wise, caring and beautiful girlfriend. Happy to not have died at the stake. Happy to be part of a real family.

Leptis soon had to interrupt the kiss because she couldn't stop herself from smiling, but she kept holding onto Tebe, blissfully contemplating her fine facial features.

Tebe looked up at her girlfriend, a cheeky spark in her eyes. "God, I've missed you."

"I love you", Leptis just whispered. She couldn't think of anything better to say.

Tebe smiled at her. It was enough of an answer, for both of them.

Though she was still a little lost in the archer's eyes, the leader seemed to have gained back her usual composure. She glanced down on the blanket where Leptis had put the ring.

"Will you wear it? For me?"

"Of course, yes!" The brunette turned and reached for it, taking another short moment to admire the beautiful piece of jewelry. Everything about it was so obviously crafted by Tebe that it made the corners of Leptis's mouth twitch affectionately. She couldn't wait to try it out and see their first encounter from the witches perspective, but she'd save that for another time.

When the younger woman pulled the ring over the knuckle of her left ring finger, Tebe softly nudged her cheek, placing a small kiss on her jaw.

"It looks perfect on you."

Leptis smiled, unable to tell her how much this felt like an engagement, but instead leaning down to kiss her once again, gentle and easy.

Less than fourty-eight hours ago, they had been captured and sentenced to death by the Benandanti, quite certain to not have any kind of future together, but right now, they were free. And they loved each other. Which was the only thing that really mattered.

When they finally went to sleep, blowing out the candles and cuddling up against the sheets, peacefully enjoying the comfort of each other's arms, Leptis was sure that for the first time in months, she wouldn't wake up to an empty bedside.


End file.
